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Hrygglunds
Summary The Hrygglunds, or Spine Lands, are an isolated principality of the Fell Mark. The land is harsh, blasted by wind, experiencing wide temperature swings, with thin soil, and little water. The Hrygg orkik and ogri are the descendents of ancient armies stationed there to fight the Gigants War. They now live in small cantonments of 40 to 100 souls, where the ogres rule over the smaller orkik. The ogri call themselves Arbani. They rule harshly, treating the orks little better than serfs. In their spare time, Arbani operate as raiders and mercenaries, while the orkik (called "Bool") work as farmers and goat herders. Arbani ogri select rulers among themselves, usually by bribery or trials of combat. As members of the The Fellmark the Hrygg still pay taxes to the empire. Most taxes are paid through labor: either five Bool for building roads; or one Arbani for military duty are required from each cantonment yearly. Bool can serve for most of a year. The Arbani only serve during the Fighting Months. The Hrygg as a people depend almost entirely on stone for tools and building materials. The cantonments are built of stacked rock: houses, cisterns, and walls. The houses are dug about 5 feet into the ground. The removed earth is made into a mortar. The roof is typically a large slab--more rarely a beehive design of carefully fitted rock shards. Hrygg families heat their homes with dried or lichen and fire stones (lignite coal). Hrygg practice lithoculture, where fields are bounded with rocks, and sown with stones to hold moisture in the earth and reduce erosion. When looked at from high in the mountains hundreds of stone-strewn fields and cantonments can be observed--each a little pockmark of civilization in the harsh wilderness. The staple food of the Hrygg is mountain barley. The Hrygglunds provide little meat, other than pica, wild birds, rabbits--and other Hrygg. The country is fat-starved. Oils, tallows, and butter are premium trade items in the Hrygglunds. In harsh times, weaker cantonments are sacrificed in their entirety as food sources: "from barley to Bools" as the saying goes. The Arbani divvy up the "food" among themselves. Location The Hrygglunds are located on the northwest of The Fellmark abutting the the Thanatogigant Mountains. They are bordered by the Scourger Orks and the Volta Rike to the north. To the west, the Hrygglunds are bordered by unoccupied mountains (with the Liechmanfaller farther west). In the southwest mountains Bietrklan Orks roam. The Uenklan barbarians border the Hrygglunds to the south and east. Estimated Numbers The Hrygglunds support about 50,000 souls 45,000 orkik 5,000 ogri Known Towns There are no towns in the Hrygglunds. The population is spread out among 600 cantonments. Allies All members of the Fellmark are sworn to defend each other. Even the Hrygglunds, if anyone bothered to invade, would be defended. Foes Bietrklan and Scourger orkik tribes have been known to invade Hrygglunds for slaves and food. The Uenklans, although nominally part of the Fellmark, hate the Hrygg--and occasionally border wars have erupted. Characters Arbanpraetor Garash, Killer of 5000, Bedder of 100, Sire of 304 Praetor Garash is the declared ruler of the Hrygglunds. An ogri over 10 feet tall, Garash fancies himself a reincarnation of an ancient general. Unlike most Hrygg, he wears cloth robes covered in medals, jewelry and carries an ancient falchion. Despite his size and girth, Praetor Garash is a poor warrior. He has resorted to bribery to hold his crown Bool Toothless, of the Nrag Canton Bool Toothless is an ancient ork, thought insane. Hunchbacked, wizened, wearing grass matting and ill-fitting bone dentures, Bool Toothless hardly looks like an important figure. He is, however, a mage of the blood, one of the most powerful wizard-savants in the Fellmark kingdoms. Bool Toothless hides his identity becaused he is a marked man. He has been accused of being a spy for the Midian Empire; and has a huge bounty on his head Bool Puustr, of the Northrygg Canton Bool Puustr is one of the few half-orkik in the Hrygglunds. Tall and lean, Puustr goes to great effort to blend in as orkik, dyeing and scarring his skin, and filing his teeth. Bool Puustr has some knowledge of the outside world; and chafes against the ogri who rule his canton. He has begun secretly organizing his orkik brothers to rebel and take the land for themselves. The Fellmark Category:Provinces and Lesser States Category:Fellbreed